The Big Final Tournament of 2014

Battle 14 @ Fossil (chosen by Krug)
#1 - Steamroller (Jacob): Crixus, Capuan Gladiators x3, Spartacus, Retiarus = 590.
#2 - Krug n’ Arrows (Jacob): Krug, Arrow Gruts x3 2/3, Ice Troll Berserker x2, Swog Rider x4, Nerak The Glacian Swog Rider = 587.

Rd 1: Steamroller led out with Retarius while Nerak jumped up to the road. Retarius whiffed on 6 dice in his attack on Nerak while a Capuan landed on the Healer glyph. Arrows failed in their attacks. Retarius hit Nerak for a wound while Capuans took out 2 Arrows. Swog enhanced Arrows killed a Capuan and then hit 3/4 skulls in two attacks on Retarius who whiffed on all 10 defense dice for 3 wounds on the net-tripper.

Rd 2: Turn 1 - Retarius took out Nerak on the center rise followed by Capuan slaying of a Swog on the right hillock. Krug charges in but fails in his attacks, but an Arrow killed Retarius . . . hmm, interesting. Turn 2 – Crix saunters to the road while the squaddies put a wound on IceT#1, 2 on Krug, and kill an Arrow. The IceT healed to full after killing a Capuan and then an Arrow takes out another. Turn 3 – Steamroller goes right after Krug – Crix and a Cap put 3 wounds on Krug for a total of 5. Krug puts a wound on Crix (thank goodness for 1-shield def) and then rolls 4/7 on the adjacent Cap, who defended with 4/4 shields.


"Come on boys, make me angry."

Rd 3: Turn 1 – Krug hit the Capuan with 3 skulls, but it was defended with 3 shields. Krug turned his attention to Crixus and rolled 4/7 shields . . . Crixus whiffed and died (what just happened?). Spartacus moved to the road, while a triad of Caps ganged up on Krug and killed him dead. Turn 2 – The IceT and an Arrow take out a couple Caps followed by the Caps earning only one wound on the IceT. Turn 3 – The IceT takes out another Cap and heals to full strength. Spartacus engages and, along with a Capuan, kill that pesky IceT.


The Arrows huddled up in their start zone trying to draw the gladiators in.

As it stood, Spartacus and 1 squad of Caps were up against an IceT, 3 Swogs, and 8 Arrows.

Rd 4: Two Arrows took out 2 Capuans. Spartacus took out a Swog while the last Cap retreated. Arrows whiffed on all 3 attacks. Spartacus wipes out the last IceT in one roll. The Arrows fail again. Spartacus had his mojo going so he entered the opposing start zone to kill an Arrow. Spartacus was turning into a one-man steamroller. Entering the final round there were only 2 Swogs and 7 Arrows remaining.

Rd 5: A Swog defended Spartacus’s lame 1/6 attack. Three Arrows and a swog leave engagement and climb to height. The Arrows rolled 7/9 skulls, Spartacus roll 2/12 shields and died. That was quick! The Arrows were heard chanting “Sucker!” A couple of turns later, the Arrows took out the last Capuan.


Disengage, climb to height, kill Spartacus . . . a recipe for success.

Final Score
Krug ‘n Arrows had 130 points left with 6 Arrows and 2 Swogs and they forced another match-up with Steamroller to determine the champion of the St. Patty’s Hooligan Brawl.


Battle 15 @ Relic (chosen by Spartacus)
#2 - Steamroller (Jacob): Crixus, Capuan Gladiators x3, Spartacus, Retiarus = 590.
#1 - Krug n’ Arrows (Jacob): Krug, Arrow Gruts x3 2/3, Ice Troll Berserker x2, Swog Rider x4, Nerak The Glacian Swog Rider = 587.

Spartacus went with Relic, hoping that the Jungle Trees would provide a little cover from the Arrows.

Rd 1:
Turn 1 – Retarius snags the +1 Attack Treasure glyph while a Capuan uncovers the +1 Defense glyph. An IceT flips a useless Treasure glyph while the Arrows sprint to height on the left side of the board.
Turn 2 – Crixus and more Capuans move out of the start zone. The IceT kills a Capuan in the middle of the map, while the Arrows fail in 2 attacks.
Turn 3 – Crixus rolls 5/6 skulls to slaughter an orc. The IceT and 3 Arrows were unsuccessful in their attacks.


"Go get 'em boys! I'm going to hang back here for a while."

Rd 2:
Turn 1 – Crixus kills another Arrow on height toward the center of the board. A solitary Capuan sliced the IceT in half with a 4/5 skull roll while the IceT whiffed. A Swog moves up to slow the progress of Crixus and an Arrow killed a Capuan who rolled 0/6 shields.
Turn 2 – Crix downed the Swog and 2 Caps punished 2 Arrows. The other IceT moved up but whiffed in his attack on a Capuan, but an Arrow shot 3/3 skulls to kill him.
Turn 3 – Retarius moved to height on the right side of the board while a Cap beheaded another Arrow. The IceT and 3 Arrows all failed in their attacks. That Def +1 glyph was really paying dividends for the Gladiators.

Rd 3:
Turn 1 – Retarius took out IceT#2 with a 4/8 skull roll followed by Capuans charging the left side of the orc start zone, taking out an Arrow and putting a wound on Nerak. Steamroller was in high gear. A Swog and 3 Arrows rolled 7/8 skulls in their attacks, but the Gladiators defended them all.
Turn 2 – Crixus takes out the last Swog on the right side of the map while another Arrow falls in the start zone to the left. A stray grut finally pierced the side of the glyph holding Capuan.
Turn 3 – Retarius slaughter a Swog on the right hill and the Capuans killed 2 Arrows and Nerak. Krug moved slightly to take out a Capuan threatening the right side of the start zone.

Krug, a Swog, and 2 Arrows were up against Crix, Ret, Spart, and 4 Capuans. Things didn’t look good for the orcs.


So, we meet again?!

Rd 4:
Turn 1: Krug smashed a Capuan and Retarius picked up his first wound from an Arrow. Retarius rolled 4/8 skulls to put 3 wounds on the Krugster.
Turn 2: Battling in front of the start zone on the right side of the map, Retarius defends Krug’s attacks of only 3 skulls out of 10 total dice, but an Arrow takes out a Capuan. Retarius hits Krug with another wound while the Capuans take out the last Swog and regain the Def +1 glyph.
Turn 3: Krug hits Retarius with 3/8 and 5/8, Retarius rolls 1/6 and 5/6 shields for only 2 wounds. Retarius slugged back and killed poor Krug and a Capuan takes out an Arrow.

Rd 5
Turn 1: Retarius rolls 5/7 skulls to kill the last Arrow.


Retarius gives a slight smirk and a wink before clearing the map.

Final Score
Retarius was named tournament MVP. In the final battle, Steamroller had an impressive 359 points left on the battle field. Steamroller is the first army to crack the 1000-point-differential barrier. The previous high was by the Anubian Wolf army in the MLK Classic with a 911 point differential.

St. Patty’s Day Hooligan Brawl
Final Standings (W-L-Point differential)
Steamroller (Jacob)  4-1-1086
Krug n' Arrows (Jacob)  5-2-(-26)
Mezzodemons (Damon)  2-2-643
Wizards (Jacob)  2-2-89
Elementals (Damon)  1-2-108
G.E.E.K.S. (Damon)  1-2-(-887)
Cultists (Jacob)  0-2-(-443)
Hunters (Damon)  0-2-(-528)

Very impressive battles .. and battle reports!! The picture really add to the detail, so thanks for adding those in. Especially the one of the 3 Swogs and the Gruts all clustered together. Ouch!

And Go Gladiators!! Retarius as the MVP .. that's spectacular.

Thank you for sharing.

Yes, very cool. Thank you

Spring Break-Out Tournament – 8 team double elimination tournament.

Derek and I started this tournament a few weeks ago . . . and we will continue it next time we get together. This tournament features the best field of the bunch so far, in my opinion. I'm going to post the first-round match-ups of the tournament now, but interrupt it with the Easter Rising-from-the-Dead Tournament. I will post the outcomes of this tournament upon its conclusion . . . stay tuned.

Damon chose the Axegrinders first, Derek followed by selecting the Blade Gruts and then the Legionnaires, and then Damon rounded out the first round selections by taking the Pirates.

Maps
Gardens of Athenoek (Custom by Derek) -  RotV, TJx2
Drift (Custom by Derek) - BftU, TTx2
To be determined
To be determined

Round 1 Match-ups

Battle 1 @ Drift
Wolves of Badru (Derek #2): Wolves of Badru x3 2/3, Werewolf Lord x2, Isamu = 583.
Protectors (Damon): Protectors of Ullar x3, Warriors of Ashra x1 2/3, Atlaga, Raelin v1 = 583.

Battle 2 @ Drift
Legionnaires (Derek #3): Roman Legionnaires x4, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Arashara Goshiri, Martial La Hire, Jean de Ascalon= 590.
Wyrmlings (Damon): White Wyrmlingx3, Black Wyrmling x3, Red Wyrmling x3, Blue Wyrmling x3, Braxas = 585.

Battle 3 @ Gardens of Athenoek
Axegrinders (Damon #1): Axegrinders of Burning Forge x3, Mok, Darrak Ambershard, Ulfrid Hornwrangler = 590.
Blade Gruts (Derek): Tornak, Grimnak, Ornak, Fenn Hydra, Blade Gruts x3 2/3 = 587.

Battle 4 @ TBD
Pirates (Damon #4): Barbary Corsairs x4, Suds Merrick, Martial La Hire, Evar Scarcarver, Darrin Razorback = 590.
Valiant (Derek): Samuel Brown, 4th Massachusetts Line x4, Sgt. Drake Alexander V2, Thorgrim the Viking Champion = 590.[/u]

Easter Rising-from-the-Dead Tournament – 8 team double elimination tournament.

Jacob got first pick of the armies and went with the Cathar Spearmen. Dad followed by taking the Ninjas and the Phantom Knights. Jacob took the Sacred Band with the last pick.

This tournament features the Gnoll faction, Saar Whisper Scouts, Ellesar, and Bishop Thaddeus from our NWHC project.

Maps

Vestige - RotV, TJ, FotA  http://www.heroscapers.com/community/downloads.php?do=file&id=4159
Hot Heights - RotV, VW  http://www.heroscapers.com/community/downloads.php?do=file&id=238
Burial Marsh - SotM, BftU, RttFF  http://www.heroscapers.com/community/downloads.php?do=file&id=2417
Arctic Divide - RotV, TT  http://www.heroscapers.com/community/downloads.php?do=file&id=232

Round 1 Match-ups

Battle 1 @ Hot Heights
Sentinels (Jacob): Sentinels of Jandar x4, Tyrian the Kyrie Warrior, Ellesar = 590.
Ninjas (Damon #2): Shiori, Otonashi, Moriko, Kumiko, Ninjas of the Northern Wind, Kantono Daishi, Isamu, Heirloom = 590

Battle 2 @ Vestige
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
Death Knights (Damon): Death Knights of Valkrill x3, Sir Hawthorne, Taelord the Kyrie Warrior, Dumutef Guard x3, Skull Demon = 590.

Battle 3 @ Burial Marsh
Gnolls (Damon): Gnoll Raiders x4, Le-Orex, Dark Rangers x4, Werewolf Lord, Siiv = 590.
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.

Battle 4 @ Hot Heights
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.
Mohicans (Jacob): Mohican River Tribe x4, Saar Whisperer x2, Brave Arrow, Deadeye Dan, Zetacron, Kira Jax = 590.

Easter Tournament - 1st Round

Battle 1 @ Hot Heights
Sentinels (Jacob): Sentinels of Jandar x4, Tyrian the Kyrie Warrior, Ellesar = 590.
Ninjas (Damon #2): Shiori, Otonashi, Moriko, Kumiko, Ninjas of the Northern Wind, Kantono Daishi, Isamu, Heirloom = 590

Jacob went with the Hot Heights map hoping his flyers could get to height easier than the ground-bound Ninjas.

Rd 1: The Ninjas and Heirloom moved out of the start zone. Sentinels did the same, earning the +8 initiative glyph on the right side lake. The other glyphs proved to be duds. No attacks were made.

Rd 2: Moriko sprinted over to two Sentinels and killed them both with her Special Attacks of 2/3 and 3/3. The Sentinels put a wound on Moriko. The rest of the round saw all attacks defended while Kumiko jumped on the glyph.


Ninjas and Sentinels square off.

Rd 3: The Northern Winders surrounded a Sentinel near the lake on the right and took him out. More Sentinels advanced. Ninjas move to take the center of the map while Kantano started climbing the heights in front of the Ninja start zone to get a better view of his forces. Again, all the rest of the attacks this round were defended as blue shields were the norm for both Jacob and Dad. We knew we were in for a long battle.

Rd 4: Sentinels managed 5/8 skulls on attacks of Moriko and Kumiko, but the ladies defended. Northern Winders took out another Sentinel. The Sentinels put two wounds on Kumiko. More defended attacks followed, including a turn were the Sentinels earned 10 shields with only 5 dice on attacks from Isamu and Shiori. A Sentinel died on the lava field to close the round.

Rd 5: Northern Winders took out another Sentinel. Isamu was able to vanish on an attack and he moved toward the Sentinel start zone. Isamu attacked Tyrian in the start zone, but it was defended. Moriko picked up another wound while Isamu vanished again. Isamu hit Tyrian with 2 wounds using his Jandar dice bonus. Jacob closed out the round by killing Isamu and placing wounds on Shiori and Moriko.

Rd 6: Moriko rolled a skull to kill a whiffing Sentinel. Jacob rolled hot with three Sentinel attacks, killing Moriko, Kumiko and putting another wound on Shiori. Things looked really good for the Ninjas until that turn. The Northern Winders spun some skulls, killing 2 Sentinels – figures were falling fast. A Sentinel took out a NotNW. Then died at the hands of the NotNW with a whiff in defense.

To end the round of carnage, 2 Sentinels, Ellesar, and a 2 wound Tyrian were left against, Kantano, Heirloom, 1 NotW, 2 wounded Shiori, and Otonashi.

Rd 7: Shiori rolled 4/4 skulls to kill one of the Sentinels. A few defended attacks. Tyrian flew up to the hill in front of Jacob’s start zone and killed Shiori from range.


Heirloom makes his move . . .

Rd 8: Heirloom received his first OM since the first round, and put a wound on Tyrian from range. Tyrian fired a couple of shots back at Heirloom for 2 wounds. Heirloom missed his attack and then Tyrian killed Heirloom. Dad lost an OM.

Rd 9: The last Sentinel killed Otonashi. The last Northern Winder killed Tyrian. There were a couple of missed attacks, but the rest of the round turned into a chess match as figures were jockeying for position.


Kantano and the last Sentinel look each other in the eyes.

Rd 10: It all came down to Kantano and one NotNW against Ellesar and the last Sentinel.
Ellesar missed on his Special against the Ninja. The Ninja countered with a wound on the elf, while Kantano sprinted down his mountain to fail on an attack against the Sentinel. The Ninja took out Ellesar – Jacob lost on OM. Kantano hit the Sentinel with a 2/2 skull roll . . . Jacob just need one shield . . . but he whiffed. Game over.

Final Score
The Ninjas won with 157 points left in a full-life Kantano Daishi and one Ninja of the Northern Wind. This was a very fun and highly strategic game. A few bad defensive rolls by Jacob or the battle could have gone the other way.

Customs Notes
Ellesar only received a couple of OMs before dying. He has yet to do anything in the many battles we have play tested with him. I’m beginning to wonder if he is even worth 40 points.


Battle 2 @ Vestige
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
Death Knights (Damon): Death Knights of Valkrill x3, Sir Hawthorne, Taelord the Kyrie Warrior, Dumutef Guard x3, Skull Demon = 590.

Taelord decided to give the Vestige map a whirl, hoping the Dumutefs would benefit from the abundance of road.

Rd 1: Jacob pulled a stunner by putting all of his OMs on the Red Wyrmlings. With their special attack, the Death Knights had to subtract 2 from their defense. Before Dad could even get in position to make an attack, the Reds took out 3 DKs. Ouch.

Rd 2: A Red took out a Dumutef who had rushed onto the road while a DK killed a Red who had stumbled upon the Pit Trap. Parmenio and the Sacred Band moved up to the road on the right side of the map. A Dumutef took out a Red and a DK took out one of the Band. Parmenio charged ahead, killing another DK. A Dumutef and a DK took out a couple more Band members.

Rd 3: Parmenio rolled a perfect 4/4 skulls to kill a DK – Dad had only one left. A Sacred Band hit the Skull Demon with another perfect roll of 3/3 skulls for 2 wounds. The Demon hit Parmenio back for 2 wounds. Parmenio killed the Demon. The last DK killed a Sacred Bander who had ventured into Dad’s start zone. Jacob took out a Dumutef with Parmenio and the last DK with a Sacred Band member. Dad lost an OM. The Band then hit Taelord for 2 wounds – things were going down hill fast for Dad.

Rd 4: Taelord climbed to height in the center of the map and took out a Sacred Bander and then he defended against three attacks. Taelord hit Parmenio for a wound. Jacob’s dice went hot again as the Band took out Taelord and the last Dumutef guard. It was Sir Hawthorne time for Dad. The backstabber failed in his first attack. Parmenio and the Band surrounded Hawthorne and rolled 11/15 skulls in all, but Hawthorne rolled 12/20 defense to stay intact.

Rd 5: Sir Hawthorne failed in his special attack then received 3 wounds from Parmenio and the Band. Hawthorne whiffed in his attack, but defended successfully against 5 attacks. Hawthorne finally rolled some skulls, killing 3 band members, but the 3rd one defied death. The band put another wound on Dad’s last figure.


Sir Hawthorne fights valiantly against the swarming sacred band.

Rd 6: Hawthorne died.

Final Score
The Red Wyrmlings really did the job in the first round and then the Sacred Band and Parmenio just overwhelmed. The Death Knights just aren’t very good. Jacob wins with a total of 313 points left with a 2 wound Parmenio, Marcus, Valguard, 9 Banders, and a Red Wyrmling left.


Battle 3 @ Burial Marsh
Gnolls (Damon): Gnoll Raiders x4, Le-Orex, Dark Rangers x4, Werewolf Lord, Siiv = 590.
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.

Dad didn’t like this match-up just scanning over the start zones before the battle even started. Dad’s dislike proved justified.

The Spearmen gained the +2 Defense glyph in the first round.
Jacob rolled dice fairly well. Dad didn’t.
Braced Spear proved especially effective against the Gnolls (Jacob hit it 5 out of 7 times!)
Le-Orex died in one turn when two Bishop boosted Spearmen rolled 5/8 skulls. Yep, Le-Orex whiffed on both defenses.
Dad lost two OMs due to a dead Le-Orex and dead Dark Rangers in the 3rd round.
The mighty Werewolf Lord managed to kill only one Spearmen in the 6th round before falling to end the battle.
Dad’s Gnoll Army managed to kill a whopping 3 total Spearmen.

Final Score
Jacob Spearmen army had a total of 533 points left. Yikes. The battle went so quick, Dad forgot to take some snap shots.

Customs Note:
Bishop performed well dishing out a couple of extra attack dice, but that was all he was needed for.
The Gnoll army got rolled. Le-Orex, the Raiders, and the Rangers were up against a tough foe, rolled the dice terribly, and were stuck with Dad as their commander. I’m going to chalk this up to poor dice and tough opponent.


Battle 4 @ Hot Heights
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.
Mohicans (Jacob): Mohican River Tribe x4, Saar Whisperer x2, Brave Arrow, Deadeye Dan, Zetacron, Kira Jax = 590.

Rd 1: Dad sends Marcu out to get a glyph, he betrays and kills a PK. Torin and the PKs move toward the center of the map. Jacob send out Saars and Mohicans.

Rd 2: A PK landed on the Massive Curse. After 32 rolls of the 20-sider, only 1 Mohican was removed from the battle field. Jacob tried a long range shot with Dan, but failed. Moltenclaw moved to height on the mountain to the left, daring Jacob to take a shot at Torin and the PKs that surrounded him. A Mohican rolled a skull on a PK, who rolled 0/7 in defense and died. Moltenclaw moved to the center of the map and killed 2 Mohicans and earned a wound on Dan with his special attack. The Mohicans fired back with 1 wound on Moltenclaw.


Torin and the PKs look on as Moltenclaw wreaks havoc.

Rd 3: Moltenclaw defended attacks from Mohicans, then the dragon took out 2 more Mohicans with his special. After a Saar moved a little closer, Dan rolled a 19 with his Sharpshooter power, taking Torin out of the match. Dad was very sad and suddenly worried. Moltenclaw clobbered an adjacent Mohican, and then the tribe put 2 wounds on him. Moltenclaw finished the round by killing another Mohican and butting a wound on one of the Saars. This is the best I’ve seen Moltenclaw perform.

Rd 4: Moltenclaw continued his dominance, rolling 5/6 skulls to kill the Saar on the right. The other Saar and Zetacron teamed up to take out Moltenclaw with three more wounds. Dad lost an OM. A PK could muster only 1/7 shields and fell from a long-range Mohican shot. A PK retaliates by killing a Mohican. To close the round, Mohicans were able to engage some PKs on the hill to the right, killing one. Brave Arrow took a turn and rolled 3/4 skulls to kill another. Brave Arrow took a lava field wound to end the round.

Rd 5: The last Saar moves up a bit and fires a long range shot on Marcu for a wound, Kira moves out of the start zone. Dad sends up a squad of Phantoms. The Saar hits Marcu for 2 more wounds. The PKs assault the Saar – the first rolled 3/4 skulls to take out the whiffing Saar. The Tribe fail in their attacks on the PKs. Using their stealth flying, the PKs take out 2 Mohicans but Zeta defends. Brave Arrow took another lava field wound.

Rd 6: This was going to be a close battle . . . Zeta found himself surrounded by three PKs in his own start zone, but he defended all attacks. The Mohicans had Zeta’s back, killing two of those PKs. The PKs attacked hard, killing Brave Arrow, putting a wound on Dan, and two wounds on Kira. Jacob lost an OM. The Phantoms surround Zeta again and put the robot done. Kira fired a shot of 3 skulls, but the PK rolled 4/4 shields to defend.

Rd 7: Dad won initiative and rolled 7/9 skulls on three PK attacks, killing the last 2 Mohicans and Dan. Jacob lost another OM. The PKs killed Kira to end the battle.

Final Score:
Dad and the Phantoms won with a total of 127 points left with 5 PKs and a half-life Marcu left. This was a very entertaining battle. The Mohicans still did not perform very well.

Customs Note:
The Saar Whisper Scouts really enhanced the Mohicans, but more than that, being able to take a turn with Zeta or Dan or Kira made those figures worthwhile. This was Jacob’s first time giving them a whirl and he really loved them. He said that the army was now one of his favorites.

Next Up:

Winner’s Bracket

Battle 5 @ Arctic Divide
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
Ninjas (Damon #2): Shiori, Otonashi, Moriko, Kumiko, Ninjas of the Northern Wind, Kantono Daishi, Isamu, Heirloom = 590

Battle 6 @ Arctic Divide
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.

Loser’s Bracket

Battle 7 @ Burial Marsh
Sentinels (Jacob): Sentinels of Jandar x4, Tyrian the Kyrie Warrior, Ellesar = 590.
Death Knights (Damon): Death Knights of Valkrill x3, Sir Hawthorne, Taelord the Kyrie Warrior, Dumutef Guard x3, Skull Demon = 590.

Battle 8 @ Vestige
Gnolls (Damon): Gnoll Raiders x4, Le-Orex, Dark Rangers x4, Werewolf Lord, Siiv = 590.
Mohicans (Jacob): Mohican River Tribe x4, Saar Whisperer x2, Brave Arrow, Deadeye Dan, Zetacron, Kira Jax = 590.

Another Holiday Heroscape Massacre!!!  Sounds like some great battles again!!!

The match-ups seemed rough from the start for the Mohicans and the Gnolls.  Mohican Braves shooting at intangible ghosts and the melee-happy Gnolls jumping on Cathar pikes!  Ouch!!

The Ninjas versus Sentinels sounds EPIC!!!

And great tactics by Huskies to pick off the Death-Knights with Majestic Wyrmlings!

Thanks for sharing,

and Keep the awesome battle-reports coming!!!

Should be some good battles in round 2 as well. Thank you.

Easter Tournament - 2nd Round

Battle 5 @ Arctic Divide
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
Ninjas (Damon #2): Shiori, Otonashi, Moriko, Kumiko, Ninjas of the Northern Wind, Kantono Daishi, Isamu, Heirloom = 590.

Sorry - no pics for this battle. Dad was too busy plotting strategy and having fun to get the camera out.

Rd 1: Otonashi sprinted 10 spaces out of the start zone to grab a glyph, which happened to be the Pit Trap. Parmenio and Sacred Band moved in mass while Dad moved up a few ninjas, Kantono climbed to height on the near hill, and Heirloom followed closely behind. Heirloom used his SA to put two wounds on Parmenio from range. The adjacent SB defied death.

Rd 2: Parmenio and an SB killed Moriko in one turn. Kantono took out a SB with his counter strike. Shiori, Heirloom, and Kumiko teamed up to kill Parmenio, with Kumiko putting in the last blow with a 3/3 skull roll on OM#3. The Sacred Band was able to get to Heirloom for a couple of wounds.

Rd 3: Kantono and Shiori combined to take out two SBs during the first turn. An SB put a wound on Kantono, who rolled 0/5 in defense. The SBs finally killed Otonashi who was still camped out in the Pit Trap. Otanashi withstood 5 attacks before falling. Kumiko turned on the barrage a couple of times in the round, killing a couple of SBs, while Shiori pitched in to kill another. Kumiko defended three attacks, rolling 3/5 shields all three times. But, the SB got to her for two wounds on OM#3.

Rd 4: Turn 1 – Kumiko defended 2 attacks, rolling 3 shields both times again! Kumiko and Shiori combined to kill 2 more SBs. Turn 2 - Kumiko finally fell, Marcus continued sprinting to the middle of the map. Kantono took out an SB and Shiori put a wound on Marcus. Turn 3 – Marcus responded by putting 2 wounds on Shiori. Heirloom whiffed on his special attack.

Rd 5: The pile of SBs in front of Jacob was mounting, but there were still plenty of figures on the battlefield. Turn 1 – The Sacred Band killed Shiori and put another wound on Heirloom. Kantono continued his attacks with a roll of 3/3 skulls to kill an SB while the NotNW moved up to behind the ruin wall. Turn 2 – Heirloom defends all attacks. Kantono attacked again but failed, no bonding this turn. Turn 3 – Marcus Decimus Gallus put the hammer on Heirloom and killed him. Dad lost his OM#3.

Rd 6: A single Sacred Bander approached Kantono and rolled an attack of 4/4 with the MDG boost. Kantono rolled 1/5 in defense and died. Dad lost 3 OMs. Oh no! A Bander took out one of the Northern Winders. On Turn 2, a NotNW disappeared and Isamu vanished. Jacob engaged the 2 NotNW and Isamu on his turn 3. Jacob rolled 1 skull on the three attacks, Dad rolled in the low-single digits on the 20-sider, and then Dad whiffed on his defensive rolls. Things ended very abruptly. Dad’s favorite army in the tourney took their first loss.

Final Score
Dad was feeling pretty good about his chances through the first 4 rounds, but the massive numbers of Banders were just too much to overcome. Things went south quickly when Dad lost 4 consecutive order markers. Jacob felt bad and even said sorry a couple of times. Amazingly, Jacob still had 368 points left with 6 Banders, Valguard, 3 Red Wyrmlings, and a 1-wound Marcus. The Sacred Band will move onto the battle of the unbeaten. The Ninjas drop to the loser’s bracket.


Battle 6 @ Arctic Divide
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.

Rd 1: Marcu flew to the left and landed on the Healer glyph. Torin and the Phantoms moved to height on the central plateau. Jacob inched the Bishop forward and then moved out the Spears, putting two wounds on Marcu to close the round.

Rd 2: The Spears hit Torin for a wound and placed another on Marcu. Moltenclaw flew to height and took out 3 Spears with his Burning Breath. The Spears put two more wounds on Marcu for a total of 5. Marcu flew off the glyph but failed in his attack.

Rd 3: Marcu killed a Spear and life-drained. The Spears decided to engage Torin for fear of his Evil Eye and put another wound on him. Moltenclaw rolled 3/4 skulls with his Breath taking out the Spears engaged with Torin. Spears fail their attacks. Marcu flies at the Bishop just outside of Jacob’s start zone and puts two wounds on the cleric. The Spears killed Marcu. Marcu played well and didn’t betray in his 4 turns.

Rd 4: PKs and Spears went head to head with two of each falling. On OM#3, Dad sent Moltenclaw across the plateau and rolled 4/4 skulls with Burning Breath, killing 2 Spearmen and the Bishop. Moltenclaw was turning into a stud this battle.

Rd 5: The Spears hit from 2 away to put a wound on Moltenclaw. The Phantoms engaged three Spears, rolled 2/3 skulls on three attacks, and killed three Spears. Nice! The Spears hit Torin for his 3rd wound. A PK flew into Jacob’s start zone and put a wound on Count Raymond. To close the round, Moltenclaw took out another Spearman with his special attack.

Rd 6: The PKs cleared the plateau of the last spearmen there and put another wound on the Count. Ray left engagement and charged Moltenclaw for a wound. Torin jumped down from the plateau into the water and rolled 5/6 skulls with his Battle Axe, killing the Count. Jacob lost an OM. Moltenclaw rolled 2/4 skulls with his Breath, killing a Spearman and placing two wound on the Master of the Hunt, who was still perched in his start zone. The Master took out an adjacent PK to close the round.


Torin, Moltenclaw, and Phantoms charge into the Spearmen's start zone.

Rd 7: Sensing victory was in his hands, Dad went for the quick kills of Jacob’s last figure. Moltenclaw engaged MoH, rolled 4/5 skulls for 3 wounds. The Master responded with 4/5 skulls for 3 wounds on Moltenclaw. The Dragon rolled 3/5 skulls, but the Master defended. Moltenclaw died at the Master’s hands. The PKs fail in their attack. The Master rolled 4/5 skulls to kill a PK.

Rd 8: The Master sprinted up to Torin and placed a wound on him. Torin climbed out of the water but couldn’t kill the Master. The Master levelled a punishing blow on Torin to take his life. The PKs surrounded the Master and killed him on their first attack. Game over.

Final Score
With 8 Phantom Knights remaining, Dad won with 187 points left. This was a complete crushing of the highly rated Spearmen. Go PKs! Moltenclaw was an absolute stud killing 9 Spearmen and earning 2 wounds on the Bishop and 5 wounds on the Master of the Hunt. It also helped that Jacob was 0/7 with the Braced Spear. The Phantoms will take on the Sacred Band in the battle of the undefeated armies while the Spearmen will have to climb their way out of the loser’s bracket.

Customs Notes
The Bishop dished out a few extra attack dice for the Spearmen before falling.


Battle 7 @ Burial Marsh
Sentinels (Jacob): Sentinels of Jandar x4, Tyrian the Kyrie Warrior, Ellesar = 590.
Death Knights (Damon): Death Knights of Valkrill x3, Sir Hawthorne, Taelord the Kyrie Warrior, Dumutef Guard x3, Skull Demon = 590.

Dad and Taelord went with Burial Marsh and hoped for better luck in this loser out battle.

Rd 1: Jacob changed things up this battle, leading out with Tyrian, who grabbed the +1 Defense treasure glyph and then fired to kill a Dumutef. A Death Knight scampered over to get the +1 Defense power glyph. Taelord moved up a bit along with the DKs, who managed to get a wound on Tyrian to close the round.

Rd 2: The two armies battled over the Def +1 glyph near the hill on the right side of the board. The DKs killed only one Sentinel in the round, but a Dumutef hit Tyrian for 2 wounds. The Sentinels were only able to kill one DK in the round, but it was the one on the glyph, which the Sentinels took over to end the round.


Kyrie, Undead, and Dumutefs prepare to slug it out.

Rd 3: Dad used his Taelord enhanced Dumutefs, who were bonding with the DKs, to kill 2 Sentinels while the DKs killed two more, including the one on the glyph. The Sentinels managed two wounds on Taelord and killed 2 DKs.

Rd 4: Dad moved Hawthorne and the Skull Demon to the road. The Skull Demon killed a Sentinel. Taelord killed the last Sentinel on the right side of the map. The DKs got and then lost the glyph, but the killed Tyrian to end the round. Jacob’s Sentinel landed on the Revive glyph, but none of the 8 figures who were dead at the time revived. The Sentinels managed to wipe out a Dumutef and two DKs, leaving Dad with only one left.

Rd 5: The Skull Demon took the Def+1 glyph, but the DK army couldn’t break through the Sentinel’s defense this round. The Sentinels killed Taelord and put two wounds on Sir Hawthorne.

Rd 6: To start the round, Jacob had 5 Sentinels and Ellesar while Dad had Hawthorne, a Dumutef, a Skull Demon, and 1 Death Knight remaining. Turn 1 – defends all around. Turn 2 – Jacob brought Ellesar up to height and fired a perfect 4/4 skull roll to kill Hawthorne who rolled zero shields in defense. Dad lost on OM. Turn 3 – the Sentinels killed the last DK while Dad chose to keep the Skull Demon on the glyph to end the round.

Rd 7: Turn 1 – all defend. Turn 2 – Sentinels put a wound on the Demon. Turn 3 – all defend.


The Skull Demon finds himself surrounded by Sentinels.

Rd 8: Turn 1 - Ellesar fires at the Demon, but it defends. The Dumutef rolls 6/6 skulls to kill a Sentinel. Turn 2 – Ellesar fires 3/4 skulls to kill the Skull Demon on the glyph. Dad lost an OM. Turn 3 – The Dumutef (Dad’s last figure) defended an attack, but so did a Sentinel.

Rd 9: It took until the second turn before Ellesar rolled a couple of skulls to kill the Dumutef to end the battle.

Final Score
The Sentinels advance with 4 left and a full life Ellesar for 187 points remaining. The Death Knights lost their second in the tournament and are heading home.

Customs Note
This was the best game by far that Ellesar has ever played. Jacob used him a ranged clean-up figure in the last three rounds and he took out the Demon, Hawthorne and the Dumutef with his normal attacks. Jacob wisely chose to forgo Ellesar’s special, which has never done much.


Battle 8 @ Vestige
Gnolls (Damon): Gnoll Raiders x4, Le-Orex, Dark Rangers x4, Werewolf Lord, Siiv = 590.
Mohicans (Jacob): Mohican River Tribe x4, Saar Whisperer x2, Brave Arrow, Deadeye Dan, Zetacron, Kira Jax = 590.

Dad and Le-Orex decided to go with the Vestige map, hoping the jungle would provide cover from ranged attacks and that the roads would help the Gnolls get to their opponents quickly.

Rd 1: Jacob moved up a Saar and Dan, and then spent 2 OMs getting the Mohicans in position. One Mohican was able to kill a Raider. Dad rolled for 2 and then 6 Raiders to move up to the road on the first two OMs and Le-Orex moved on #3. Only one Gnoll was able to make an attack, and he failed.

Rd 2: All Raiders for Dad this round. He rolled for 3, 3 and then 2 Gnolls to move. The Gnolls were able to kill 2 of the Tribe this round, but a couple of Rangers got to take a turn as well, killing a Mohican and putting a wound on Brave Arrow. Jacob went with all Tribe this round, killing a Raider in round 1, Brave Arrow got to take a turn in round 2 and killed a Gnoll, while in round 3, Jacob took out 2 Gnolls and a Ranger as Dad rolled a pathetic 12/12 skulls in defense.


Brave Arrow attempts to slow the Gnoll charge. Le-Orex shows off the paint job while waiting to be rebased.

Rd 3: Le-Orex climbed to height on Brave Arrow and only rolled 1/6 skulls. Brave Arrow defended. Three Mohicans and Brave Arrow all failed on their attacks. Dad moved 2 Gnolls, killed a Mohican, and then a Ranger hit Dan for 2 wounds. Jacob’s Indians hit Le-Orex for 2 wounds and then a third one killed the Ranger from long range. Dad rolled to move 6 Raiders. In his 3 Gnoll attacks and Ranger shot, Dad was only able to put 1 wound on Brave Arrow, who was hanging tough and clogging things up on the right side road just in front of Dad’s start zone. To end the round, the Tribe killed another Gnoll.

Rd 4: Dad went with all Raiders this round and really started to turn the battle. Dad was able to move 6, 3, and 3 for each turn. The Raiders took out Brave Arrow, finally. The Gnolls and Ranger also killed 4 Mohicans and Dead-eye. By the end of the round, Gnolls were attacking in Jacob’s start zone and they controlled the center of the map. For Jacob, he was able to kill 3 Gnolls with the Mohicans in his own start zone, and then a Saar killed the 3rd Ranger from long range to end the round.

To start the 5th round, Dad had 3 Raiders, 1 Ranger, Le-Orex (with 2 wounds), Siiv, and the Werewolf Lord. Jacob had 2 Mohicans, both Saars, Zetacron, and Kira remaining.

Rd 5: Jacob attacked Le-Orex with a Saar all three rounds, but failed all three times. Zetacron got off 3 attacks of 3 dice and was able to kill a Gnoll and the last Ranger. Dad rolled to move 6 and then 3 Gnolls in the first two turns and were only able to kill 1 Mohican. On turn 3, Le-Orex charged and put two wounds on the front Saar.

Rd 6: Zetacron went on a rampage in this round, taking out the last two Raiders and Le-Orex on 2/3 roll for 4 hits v. Le-Orex’s whiff. Dad lost his OM #3 with that kill. The bonus from the Saar was helpful for Zeta. Le-Orex was able to kill one of the Saar’s prior to his own demise.

The Werewolf Lord and Siiv stood alone in Dad’s start zone. Jacob had Zetacron, a one wound Saar, Kira, and a Mohican left.

Rd 7: Turn 1 – Jacob wins initiative and puts a wound on the WWL from long range by the Saar, Zetacron moves up. The WWL moves to the road. Turn 2 – The Saar picks up the Bracers of Teleportation and then Zetacron hits the WWL from across the map for 2 more wounds. The WWL moves to height. Turn 3 – The Saar teleports across the map away from the closing Werewolf and then Zetacron hits 2/3 for 4 skulls to kill the whiffing WWL from long range. Dad lost his OM.

Rd 8 – The Saar and Zetacron team up to kill Siiv.

Final Score and Customs Notes
The Mohicans win! Jacob had 149 points left. The Saar boosted Zetacron turned in to an awesome clean-up figure. Jacob really enjoyed the army and the benefits the Saars provided. The Gnolls played much better this time, but couldn’t overcome the inferiority of the range. Jacob went after the Rangers whenever he could. Le-Orex was unable to get enough shields to use his Claw Shield Counter Attack when adjacent Mohicans attacked him three times during the battle. Overall, Dad rolled to move 47 Raiders on 13 turns for an average of 3.6 per turn. Le-Orex boosted enough a couple of times to get to the next breakdown. The Gnolls are a fun army, they just had two tough opponents in this tourney. The Saars have made the Mohican/Sniper build competitive – perhaps.

Next Up

Winner’s Bracket

Battle 9 @ Burial Marsh
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.

Loser’s Bracket

Battle 10 @ Hot Heights
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.
Ninjas (Damon #2): Shiori, Otonashi, Moriko, Kumiko, Ninjas of the Northern Wind, Kantono Daishi, Isamu, Heirloom = 590.

Battle 11 @ Burial Marsh
Sentinels (Jacob): Sentinels of Jandar x4, Tyrian the Kyrie Warrior, Ellesar = 590.
Mohicans (Jacob): Mohican River Tribe x4, Saar Whisperer x2, Brave Arrow, Deadeye Dan, Zetacron, Kira Jax = 590.

Very cool reports. Thanks for posting.

Easter Tournament - 3rd Round

Battle 9 @ Burial Marsh
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.

Rd 1: Parmenio and the Sacred Band moved forward to the road in mass. Parmenio picked up the Cloak of Invisibility and a Bander landed on the Glyph of Lodin. Dad led out with the PKs and then moved Moltenclaw to height on the right side of the map. On OM#3, Moltenclaw rolled 1/4 skulls with Burning Breath but all three Banders defended with one shield each. Parmenio killed a PK while a SB put a wound on Moltenclaw to close the round.


Can Parmenio and the Sacred Band defeat the Dragon?

Rd 2: Parmenio and the Band hit Moltenclaw hard for 3 wounds. Moltenclaw hit Parmenio in the face with his claws for 3 wounds. Parmenio took out Moltenclaw and Dad lost an OM. The PKs defended four attacks from the Band. On OM#3, the Band killed two PKs. The PKs responded by killing only one Band member.

Rd 3: All PKs and SBs this round. The PKs killed 3 Banders in the round while Parmenio and the Banders killed 3 PKs. But, the Sacred Band had successfully cleared the right side of the map and could now direct all their attention to the left side.

Rd 4: All PKs and SBs again. The PKs took out 4 . . . just a squad. Jacob rolled a perfect 3/3 skulls on four different attacks this round. In total, the last 5 PKs died and Torin received a wound. What a wipe-out!

Rd 5: Torin took out Parmenio and a Band member and Marcu killed one as well. Torin and Marcu defended well but Torin ended up with 2 wounds while Marcu got 1.


Torin and Marcu's last stand.

Rd 6: Torin and Marcu were cornered in their start zone, but the fought to death – killing 2 more Banders and putting two wounds on Marcus Decimus Gallus. But the shear number of attacks were too much as MDG and the Band killed Torin and Marcu on OM#3.

Final Score
Well, losing Moltenclaw early really hurt Dad. Jacob was on-fire all game with the skulls. Jacob had 317 points left with 3 Wyrmlings, Valguard, 2 wounds on MDG, and one squad of Sacred Band remaining. The Sacred Band move into the championship while the Phantoms will take on the survivor from the 4 armies left in the loser’s bracket.


Battle 10 @ Hot Heights
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.
Ninjas (Damon #2): Shiori, Otonashi, Moriko, Kumiko, Ninjas of the Northern Wind, Kantono Daishi, Isamu, Heirloom = 590.

Kantono and Dad decided to go with the Hot Heights map, hopefully picking off as many Spears as possible with Heirloom’s ranged special attack before having to engage the Braced Spears with the Ninjas.

Rd 1: In a change of strategies, Jacob went with all Master of the Hunt all of the time for the first 3 rounds. In the first round, Dad got Kantono up to height on the right side hill and the Northern Winders behind the ruin. The Master of the Hunt picked up the Ring of Protection while Otonashi picked up the Attack +1 glyph.

Rd 2: The Master through his javelin many times but all of his attacks were defended. Heirloom hit the MoH with a 4/4 skull roll, but it was blocked with 4/8 shields – the Ring of Protection was spent. After 2 rounds, neither side had a wound yet.

Rd 3: Heirloom and the MoH went head to head this round. MoH was able to put 2 wounds on Heirloom on his first turn, but Heirloom blocked on turns 2 and 3. Heirloom hit MoH for 2 wounds on turn 1 and 3 wounds on turn 2. On turn 3, Heirloom rolled 3/5 skulls, but MoH blocked with 3/4 shields. Jacob rolled a skull for lava field damage to kill the Master of the Hunt. Three rounds – one death, two wounds on Heirloom, but Dad had both Kantono and Heirloom on the left hill.


The Master of the Hunt takes on Kantano and Heirloom.

Rd 4: The Bishop and the Spearmen moved forward. The Ninjas could make no impact and neither could the Spearmen. Shiori blocked all 6 attacks as should stood on the hill to the right.

Rd 5: Turn 1 – Shiori blocked 3 more attacks and Moriko blocked 1. Heirloom rolled 3/3 skulls with his special to kill 3 Spears. Yes! Turn 2 - The Spears finally started rolling skulls, killing Shiori and putting two wounds on Moriko. Moriko took out a Spear, but Isamu failed his attack. Turn 3 – The Spears finally made their way across the map to kill Otonashi on the +1 Attack glyph. Heirloom took out a Spear from range to close the round.

Rd 6: Turn 1 – Heirloom hit 3/3 skulls with his SA to kill two Spears. A Spear sauntered within two of Heirloom and rolled 4/4 skulls. Heirloom only got 1 shield plus his auto shield. Heirloom was dead and Dad lost 2 order markers. No! Turn 2 – Spear attacks fail, Isamu vanishes. Turn 3 – Moriko defended and Isamu vanished again. Dad lost his only ranged attacker that round – things did not look good.

Rd 7: Bad round for the Ninjas as the Spears continued their march. Moriko was killed on Turn 1. Two Northern Winders died from Braced Spears while trying to engage, but the 3rd one did kill a Spear. On Turn 2, Isamu, Katono and Kumiko all defended but the Spears took out the last NotNW and took the attack glyph. Isamu and Kumiko failed in their attacks. Turn 3 – Isamu vanishes, Katono and Kumiko each killed a Spear.


Kantano braces himself . . .

Rd 8: Jacob won initiative and rolled 4/4 and 3/4 skulls to kill Kantano and burn all of Dad’s order markers. Ouch! Isamu kept vanishing but the spears earned two wounds on Kumiko.

Rd 9: The Spears killed Kumiko, Isamu vanished 3 times, but fell on the fourth attack.

Final Score
Dad’s favorite army is history. The Ninjas are so vulnerable to lost OMs. Jacob had 281 points remaining with 7 Spearmen, Count Raymond, and the Bishop still on the battlefield.


Battle 11 @ Burial Marsh
Sentinels (Jacob): Sentinels of Jandar x4, Tyrian the Kyrie Warrior, Ellesar = 590.
Mohicans (Jacob): Mohican River Tribe x4, Saar Whisperer x2, Brave Arrow, Deadeye Dan, Zetacron, Kira Jax = 590.

Jacob decided to let Dad play his Sentinel army. Jacob really likes the Saar/Zeta/Mohican army.

Rd 1: A Saar rolled 2/2 within a range of 8 of a Sentinel. The Sentinel whiffed with 5 dice and died. A Sentinel landed on the Defense +1 glyph. Other than that, Sentinels moved and Mohicans moved.

Rd 2: All Mohicans and Sentinels this round. A Mohican killed the glyph holding Sentinel, but another would get it back on the next turn. The Sentinels took out 2 Tribesmen. There were many blocked attacks as the blue dice were appearing often.


Sentinels and Mohicans engage in skirmishes across the battlefield.

Rd 3: Tyrian flew 7 spaces out of the start zone and put a wound on the Saar to the right. A Mohican and Brave arrow killed 2 Sentinels (Dad rolled 0 shields on 10 dice). The Sentinels put a wound no Brave Arrow and one on the Saar in the center of the map. Brave Arrow rolled a perfect 4/4 skulls to kill another Sentinel. The Sentinels countered by killing a Mohican next to the glyph and putting 2 wounds on Brave Arrow. Kira came out firing with 2 skulls on a Sentinel, but despite not getting the double shield, the Sentinel blocked the attack.

Rd 4: The Sentinels went after Jacob’s heroes this round, killing both Saars and finally bring down Brave Arrow. The Sentinels defended all 7 attacks this round, but a Saar did get a wound on Tyrian. Dan failed on a long range 20 sider roll aimed at Tyrian.

Rd 5: The Sentinels killed 3 Mohicans this round, one each turn. The Mohicans made many attacks and killed 2 Sentinels when Dad rolled 0/5 defense on both.

Rd 6: All Indians and Kyrie again this round. Dad took out two Tribesman while Jacob took out 1 Sentinel. Dad and Jacob continued their hot hands while rolling defense.

Rd 7: The Sentinels pushed toward Jacobs start zone, killing a Mohican but failing on Zetacron on Turn 1. The Mohican attack failed again. Sentinels again kill a Mohican but fail on Zeta. Kira exploited a Sentinel weakness, rolled 2 skulls, and killed the Kyrie. Tyrian flew in closer and took aim at Zetacron, rolling 2 skulls and then 1 skull. Poor Zeta could only muster 1 shield and died. Dan hit Tyrian with a roll of 18 . . . had there been a Saar, Tyrian would be dead. Bummer for Jacob.

Rd 8: To start the round, Dad had 1 wound on Tyrian, Ellesar, and 3 Sentinels still standing. Jacob was down to Kira, Dan, and a solitary Mohican. Tyrian took three turns in the round, killing Kira and the Mohican. Kira did kill a Sentinel, but Dan’s attacks failed.

Rd 9: Dan failed on two 20-sider rolls, but put a wound on Tyrian on the 3rd OM. Tyrian was able to manage two wounds on Dan, and rolled 4/6 skulls on one attack, only to have Dan roll 5 shields.

Rd 10: Tyrian finally killed Dan on OM#2.


Tyrian hunts down Dead-eye.

Final Score
With a ½ life Tyrian, Ellesar, and 2 Sentinels remaining, Dad won with 169 points left. The Sentinels will move on to face the Spearmen next. The Mohicans, sadly, are eliminated.

Customs Notes
The Saars provide a nice bonus for this army, but Dad went after them before they could use their bonding and dice bonus with Zetacron and it paid off. Ellesar didn’t receive an OM.

Next Up:

Battle 12 @ Vestige
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.
Sentinels (Jacob): Sentinels of Jandar x4, Tyrian the Kyrie Warrior, Ellesar = 590.

Battle 13 @ TBA
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.
v. winner of battle 12.

Battle 14 and maybe 15 @ TBA
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
v. winner of battle 13.

Spearmen v. Sentinels is going to be a tough one. Kyrie don't like Braced Spears : P and I am thinking that Jacob will take his Hot-Hand for d20's for the Cathars. Going to have to go with Spearmen.

The Phantom Knights and Moltenclaw team have been fun to watch .. and it is surprising that there is very little "range" for them to shine against. The armies are heavy melee which is cool .. but if the Spearmen advance _ I think they can make it through the Phantoms.

Thanks for sharing!!!

Easter Tournament - Final Four

Battle 12 @ Vestige
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.
Sentinels (Jacob): Sentinels of Jandar x4, Tyrian the Kyrie Warrior, Ellesar = 590.

Jacob decided to go with the Spearmen, giving Dad the Sentinels to play with again. Dad’s strategy was to get the Sentinels on height next to jungle and hope they could roll enough shields while Tyrian tried to pick the Spears off from range. Jacob was going to go with all Spears, all of the time.

Rd 1: The Sentinels managed to kill 2 Spears this round while the Spears took out one Sentinel.

Rd 2: Tyrian flew up to height on the right side of the board and managed to kill 2 Spears in his 6 attacks during the round. The Spears attacked Sentinels 8 times, but only one made it through the 5 or 6 dice Dad was rolling for defense.

Rd 3: The Sentinels killed 2 Spears who had moved into engagement when Jacob whiffed on both rolls. A Sentinel then whiffed on defense and died. Tyrian got off 4 attacks on the next 2 turns, but was only able to kill one more Spear. The Spears managed to get within range on Tyrian for 2 wounds, getting a bonus die from the Bishop, and they killed another Sentinel.

Rd 4: Tyrian killed a Spear after flying to safety back in the start zone. The Spears managed to kill one Sentinel in the round. A lot of defense going on, but the big news was that Jacob landed on the Negation glyph . . . Tyrian lost his ability to fly and his double attack. Ouch.


Tyrian and the Sentinels defend against the Spearmen just in front of Dad's start zone.

Rd 5: Tons of defense again this round. The Sentinels managed to take out 2 Spearmen while the only 1 Sentinel fell.

Rd 6: Jacob hit his first two Braced Spear rolls of the game to kill 2 Sentinels. He also rolled a perfect 5/5 skulls to kill another (thanks Bishop) and he took out Tyrian in the round. Dad was only able to kill 2 Spearmen. Good round for Jacob.

Rd 7: Dad was down to Ellesar and 1 Sentinel. Jacob had 4 Spearmen, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, and the Master of the Hunt. Things did not look good for Dad. All that Jacob could muster was to kill the last Sentinel after he took out a Spearmen. Ellesar was able to kill another Spearmen from long range.

Rd 8: Ellesar kept his distance. He rolled 2/2 skulls with his special attack, but the Cathar defended with 5/5 shields, then he rolled 1 skull on his second try and the Cathar died with on 0/5 roll. It worked for the first time! On turns 2 and 3, Ellesar targeted the Bishop with his normal attack rolling 3/4 skulls for 2 wounds and then 2/4 skulls and death when the Bishop whiffed. Ellesar is putting on a show and finally getting his points worth.

Rd 9: Ellesar moved to the left side of the board and earned a wound from the Spearman. Ellesar put a wound on the Master from range, but the Master responded with a wound on Ellesar. Ellesar was finally engaged by the Master.


Can Ellesar pull of some magic against the Master of the Hunt?

Rd 10: Dad won initiative. Ellesar rolled 4/4 skulls for three wounds on the Master before he was downed to end the battle.

Final Score
Jacob’s Spearmen had 152 points left and will advance to have a rematch with the Phantoms. The Sentinels fought well. Having Tyrian negated may have been the difference in the battle.

Customs Notes
Bishop added with attack dice numerous times and they were needed to break through the high Sentinel double shield defense. Ellesar performed like a super star after a dozen games of doing very little.

Next Up:

Battle 13 @ Vestige
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.

Battle 14 and maybe 15 @ TBA
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
v. winner of battle 13.

And here I thought that Ellessar was going to go on a vicious run at the end of the battle!!

Yeah ... Spearmen are awesome. Sounds like a great defensive game.

Thanks for sharing!!

Battle 13 @ Vestige
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.
Spearmen (Jacob #1): Cathar Spearmen x4, Count Raymond, Bishop Thaddeus, Master of the Hunt = 590.

Rd 1: Dad sent Moltenclaw and Torin to the road and heights on the left side. Jacob sent all but a couple of his Spearmen to the right side of the map. Jacob did get one engaged attack in but Torin easily defended.

Rd 2: A Spear made it over to the power glyph, but it turned out to be a Brandar decoy. The Phantom Knights took out the Spear engaged with Torin. 2 Spears attacked a PK on the road, but Dad rolled 7/16 shields in two rolls to defend. Torin charged into a couple of spears and took a wound and then rolled only 1/6 in attack for no affect. Jacob engaged Torin with 4 Spearmen, putting 2 wounds on him on the first attack but then whiffing on the next three rolls. Dad fought back with three PKs, rolling 7/10 skulls to kill three Spearmen engaged with Torin.

Rd 3: Jacob pushed forward a Spearmen from the right side all the way to within reach of Dad’s PKs in Dad’s start zone. The Spear rolled 2/4 skulls while the PK rolled only 1/7 shields. Another Spear took out a PK on the left road with a 2/2 skull roll. Dad tried to engage Spears with his PKs, but meet with two braced spears for two dead PKs. The third one made it through and killed a Spearman. Still targeting in Dad’s start zone, a Spear took out another PK with a 3/4 skull roll while Moltenclaw couldn’t take out an adjacent Spearman. On turn 3, Moltenclaw, Torin, and a PK defended against 4 Spearman attacks. Moltenclaw rolled 4/6 skulls to kill a Spearman to end the round – a costly round for Dad as the number of PKs piled up off the map.


Moltenclaw looks on as Torin tries to withstand the onslaught of Spears

Rd 4: Torin only rolled 2/6 skulls while a Spear rolled 2/4 shields to defend. The Spear then killed Torin, but Moltenclaw and two PKs defended. Another PK fell to a braced spear but two Spearmen fell to PK swords. The Master of the Hunt threw his javelin up at Moltenclaw but whiffed. Moltenclaw then used his Burning Breath to put a wound on the Master, but a Spearman and the Bishop defended. To close the round, a Spearman hit Moltenclaw for his first two wounds of the battle. Ouch.

Rd 5: Turn 1 – A PK kills a Spearman in Dad’s startzone. A Spear rolls 3/4 skulls to kill a PK who rolled 1/9 shields who was on the hill next to a palm tree on the left side. Turn 2 – Moltenclaw failed his special attack, the Spears attacked Moltenclaw twice and a PK, but they all defended. Turn 3 – Moltenclaw rolled 2/4 skulls with his SA, but the two adjacent Spears defended, and then whiffed in their attacks on Moltenclaw.


Moltenclaw tries to deflect spears and javelins while spewing fire

Rd 6: Turn 1 – Moltenclaw tried his SA again and rolled 3/4 skulls to kill the two adjacent Spearmen. The Master could only roll 1/4 on Moltenclaw who defended. Turn 2 – Moltenclaw flew down from his perch to pick up the Ring of Protection treasure and killed a Spearman with his breath. A Spear attack failed on a PK. Turn 3 – Another braced spear killed a PK, but a PK killed a Spearman. The Spears whiffed in their attacks.

After 6 rounds of carnage, Dad had a twice wounded Moltenclaw, 1 squad of Phantoms, and Marcu remaining. Jacob was left with a once wounded Master of the Hunt, 2 Spearmen of Cathar, Bishop Thaddeus, and Count Raymond.

Rd 7: Turn 1 - Moltenclaw retreated back toward Dad’s start zone and failed on his SA. The Master could only muster 1 skull with his javelin which Moltenclaw blocked. Turn 2 – The PKs surround the Master and dish out 3 wounds on the big guy. The Master responds by killing one of the PKs. Turn 3 – Moltenclaw rolls 3/4 skulls to kill a Spearman. The last Spearman rolled a perfect 4/4 skulls to kill a PK. Dad and Jacob each had one common figure left.


The glowing PKs tackle the Master while Moltenclaw hides in the shadows.

Rd 8: Turn 1 – The Master killed the last PK. Moltenclaw engages the last Spear, avoids the brace, and levels an awesome 6 skull roll for death and a lost OM. Turn 2 – The Master defends against Moltenclaws breath attack. Turn 3 – The Bishop moves up to the road on the right side of the map. Moltenclaw engages the Master and puts a wound on him.

Rd 9: Dad wins initiative, Moltenclaw rolls 3/5 skulls to kill the Master, and Jacob lost another OM. Marcu Esenwein gets a chance to play, but he betrays. Jacob places him on low height and within reach of the Bishop, who raced over and hit the undead figure for 3 wounds. Marcu climbed out of his hole, but the Bishop blocked his attack. Marcu then blocked an attack to end the round.

A half-life Marcu and a 2-wound Moltenclaw were up against the Count and the Bishop, and neither one had a wound.

Rd 10: Dad wins initiative again and Marcu hit the Bishop hard for 2 wounds. Thaddeus hit Marcu hard and killed him good. Dad lost an OM. The Count raced toward the middle of the map. Moltenclaw rolled 3/4 skulls with his SA to take out the Bishop.


Dragon versus Man. Who has what it takes?

Rd 11: Dad won initiative yet again. Moltenclaw rolled 4 shields attacking, the Count rolled 4 skulls defending. Dad and Jacob decided to trade their rolls. Count Raymond engaged the dragon and rolled 3/4 skulls, Dad utilized the Ring of Protection and rolled 3/7 shields to block. Phew. Moltenclaw hammered the Count with 4 skulls for 3 wounds, blocked the Count,s attack, and then promptly ended the battle by killing the Count with a 3 skull roll.

What a battle!

Final Score:
The Phantom Knights won with 113 points left in the form of a mighty dragon who only had 2 wounds. The PKs will go on to meet the Sacred Band in the championship. The tournament favorite Spearmen were eliminated. The PKs, Torin, and Moltenclaw really are a very nice army to play against the seemingly invincible Spearmen.

Next Up:

Battle 14 and maybe 15 @ Hot Heights, then Arctic Divide if necessary
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.

Awesome battle. Love the glowing Phantom.

The Dragon Prince pulls out a victory!!! Unbelievable!!!

Nice battle report, and some amazing action there!!

Easter-Rising-of-the-Dead Tournament Championship

Battle 14 @ Hot Heights
Sacred Band (Jacob #4): Sacred Band x4, Parmenio, Valguard, Marcus Decimus Gallus, Red Wyrmling x3 = 590.
Phantoms (Damon #3): Phantom Knights x4, Torin, Moltenclaw, Marcu Esenwein = 590.

Dad went with the lava map, hoping to benefit his flyers and Moltenclaw.

Rd 1: Marcu flew over and uncovered the Defense +1 glyph in the pool on the right side of the map. Jacob went with all Parmenio and Band, earning two wounds on Marcu on turn #3. Dad got his PKs into position.


Look's like a scrum is developing around Marcu and the +1 Defense glyph

Rd 2: Marcu took a turn and rolled 4/4 skulls to drain an SBs life. It took 6 attacks in the round, but Parmenio and the SB finally killed Marcu on turn #3. The Band also killed 2 PKs and jumped on the glyph. The PKs put 2 wounds on Parmenio and killed 2 SBs, but one of them defied death. All fighting took place next to the pond on the right side.

Rd 3: The PKs killed a couple of SBs, including the one on the glyph, on turn 1. Dad then sent in Moltenclaw, who killed a couple of SBs with his Burning Breath on turn 2, and then flew from height to engage and kill Parmenio. Jacob questioned Dad’s strategy of bringing the dragon down. Jacob could only manage to take out a couple of PKs in the round, but he did get the glyph back at the end.

Rd 4: And now I know why Jacob questioned my strategy. Moltenclaw only rolled 1/6 in attacking the SB on the glyph. Jacob sent in his SBs from the middle of the map and hit Moltenclaw for 3 wounds. The PKs were able to kill one SB and earn a wound on Marcus Decimus Gallus, who the PKs were trying to tie down. But, MDG took a wound leaving engagement and hit Molty with a 3/3 skull roll. The Dragon whiffed in defense and died. Oh, oh! Dad lost an OM. Jacob took out a couple of PKs to end the round.


The Sacred Band and Marcus Gallus look to be in control after killing Moltenclaw

Rd 5: MDG killed 2 PKs on Jacob’s first two turns, but his SBs could make no head way. On the 3rd turn, Jacob moved out Valguard for the first time all tournament and he got the glyph back. Dads PKs went ballistic – killing MDG on turn 2 and killing 3 SBs. On turn 3, Torin came out to play and killed an SB standing next to the pond on the right.

After 5 rounds things looked pretty close. Dad had Torin and 4 Phantoms while Jacob had Valguard, 5 Sacred Banders, and 3 Red Wyrmlings.

Rd 6: Torin failed an attack, but the PKs went off again, killing 3 SBs and taking the glyph to close the round. Valguard sprinted over to the treasure glyph which turned out to be Oceanstrider. Jacob used his last two turns retreating and turtling up Valguard and his last two SBs on the little hill just outside his start zone. Dad was clucking like a chicken, mockingly.


PKs kicked some booty, forcing Jacob to pod up his remaining Greeks and Valguard

Rd 7: The PKs ended their run of nice attacks this round. Dad got off 5 attacks on the Reds, but could only roll 2/15 skulls for no headway. Jacob’s Reds had a little better success, taking out 2 PKs in 6 attacks. Hmm – things got interesting.

Rd 8: Dad’s two PKs whiffed their attacks. Jacob killed the PK on the glyph with 2 skulls versus a 1/6 shield roll. The other Red killed Dad’s last PK. Dad moved Torin around trying to chase down the Reds on turns 2 and 3. The Reds hit Torin with three skulls, Torin whiffed for 3 wounds. A Red did die on the lava field to end the round.

Rd 9: Dad managed to kill a Red, but Jacob took out Torin on turn 2. Game over.

Final Score
Jacob had the 2 Sacred Bands, Valguard, and 2 Red Wyrmlings left for 190 points. This was the first tournament an army went undefeated all the way through. As it stands, the Sacred Band have the top seed in the final showdown tournament this summer. Jacob played them well.

Here are the final standings for the Easter Rising-of-the-Dead tournament:

Easter Tournament
Army (Commander)      W   L   Pts
Sacred Band (Jacob4)   4   0   1282
Spearmen (Jacob1)      3   2   666
Phantoms (Damon3)     3   2   -80
Sentinels (Jacob)         2   2   48
Mohicans (Jacob)        1   2   -147
Ninjas (Damon2)          1   2   -493
Death Knights (Damon) 0   2   -594
Gnolls (Damon)            0   2   -682

Three Warlords and Three Dragons for the WIN! The Undefeated Greeks!! Impressive.

Wow, another fantastic tournament, guys!!!

Torneo de Cinco De Mayo
8 team double elimination tournament.

Dad took Zelrig and the Roman Archers with the first pick. Jacob followed by selecting the Zombies and MacDirks. Dad decided to go with the Wolf Pack instead of the Soulborgs in a tough decision.

Customs featured in this tournament include Mistress Isadora, Alpha-Prime Enforcers, and the Sylvan Animae.

Maps
Sirocco (BoV) - BftUx2, TJ
Volcalla Rift (Custom by Nomad) - SotM, VW, TJ, FotA
Sidewinder (BoV) - RotV, TT
Marr Highway (BoV) - RotV, RttFF

Round 1 Match-ups

Battle 1 @ Volcalla Rift
Shades (Jacob): Shades Of Bleakwoode x4, Othkurik the Black Dragon, Marro Warriors = 590.
Roman Archers (Damon #1): Roman Archers x4, Zelrig, Tandros Kreel, Izumi Samurai = 585.

Battle 2 @ Marr Highway
Soulborgs (Jacob): Deathwalker 8000, Mistress Isadora, Alpha-Prime Enforcer x4, Zettian Guards, Deathreavers x2, Warden 816 = 580.
Varkaanans (Damon #4): Varkaanan Greyspears, Varkaanan Quickblades, Varkaanan Darkclaws, Varkaanan Swiftfangs, Arktos, Sylvan Animae x2 = 585.

Battle 3 @ Sidewinder
Agents (Damon): Microcorp Agents x3, Agent Skahen, Major Q10, Otonashi= 580.
MacDirks (Jacob #3): Thorgrim the Viking Champion, Finn the Viking Champion, Eldgrim The Viking Champion, Alastair MacDirk, MacDirk Warriors x3, Tarn Viking Warriors = 590.

Battle 4 @ Marr Highway
Monks (Damon): Eilan Sidhe x2.5, Syvarris, Shaolin Monks x3, Master Win Chiu Woo = 580.
Zombies (Jacob #2): Zombies of Morindan x4, Zombie Hulk x4, Gald'rabok = 590.

# 1
I hope that the Shades can get an awesome Possession roll on Zelrig and take the big dragon back into the Start Zone for toast up some Roman Archers!!! With Jacob on the d20 - *anything* is possible!!!

# 2
With Mistress Isadora's Cyber-Prison only working for Small-Medium .. I think that the Wolfen are going to ROLL over the Utgar Soulborgs. I guess we haven't finalized Commander Kaelix, otherwise there might be Chain-Fighters and such with the Alpha-Prime Enforcers.

# 3
Vydar pod with Q10 against MacDirks sounds like a very cool battle!!! I'm going to have to go with The Major on that one -- as the MacDirks don't like Defense : P

# 4
I think the Zombies overcome the Shaolin, since OM management is going to be a challenge for the Monks. Maybe we need a NW Custom's monk who can shift OM's between Monk heroes and squads.


Looking forward to the Battle Reports!!!

I should have added that Gald'rabok is a custom we play-tested in the Cinco-de-Mayo tournament.

Commander Kaelix and the Utgar guards have their own army scheduled for the Summer Solstice Tournament. But right now we are a couple of weeks behind schedule so it may run a bit later.

Here are the upcoming tournaments:

Spring Break - Derek v. Damon (we are about 1/2 way through . . . it won't finish until we meet again!) Features Blade Gruts, Legionnaires, Valient, Wolves of Badru, Protectors, Pirates, Axegrinders, Wyrmlings.

Cinco de Mayo - Jacob v. Damon (this tournament is completed . . . reports will be forthcoming). Features Varkaanans, MacDirks, Roman Archers, Zombies, Soulborgs, Agents, Monks, Shades.

Memorial Day - Jacob v. Damon (we are part way through this one) Dwarves, Armocs, Samurai, Redcoat Sneaks, Troopers, Drow, Minotaurs, Minions.

School's Out - Any one else want to play some battles? Solo or in person? (Ashigaru, Templars, Water Spiders, Greenscales, Flayers, Nagrubs, Death Chasers, Warforged).

Summer Solstice - Any takers? (Snipers, Imperium, Fusiliers, Predators, Stingers, Groks, Hive, Guards of Kaelix).

Independence Day - with Will Smith and you? (Blade Dancers, Samurai Archers, Davion, Tricksters, Deathstalkers, Heavy Gruts, Obsidian, Thralls).

With new customs, we might add another tournament (with some rearranging of armies). The Goblins are needed in here.

Jacob and I hope to get a tournament of champions accomplished some time this summer where the 4 of us can get together and draft from the top 16 armies (11 tournament champions and 5 wild cards) in a two day event of endless heroscape love. We would each start with 4 armies in a single elimination tournament. After the first round, we would re-draft for the second round, etc. That is our hope, anyways. Let me know if you are interested.

Every single classic, D&D, C3V, SoV, and NWHC figure will have had a chance to show what they are worth.

We are thinking of restarting a new round next January. Maybe doing it over Skype or that on-line method that has been run via HS could work.

Here are the standings to date after the 5 tournaments have been reported (1.5 have not been):

Clinched a berth in the Final Tournament. Interestingly, 4 of the 5 teams so far are melee.
W..L..Pts..
4..0..1282..Sacred Band
6..1..1150..Eradicators
5..1...811..Anubian Wolves
4..1..1096..Steamroller
4..1...639..Knights of Weston

Potential wildcards that could be bumped
W..L..Pts..
5..2...607..Harpies
5..2...-26..Krug n' Arrows
3..2...666..Spearmen
3..2...485..Omnicron
3..2...453..Gladiatrons

shades, varkaanaans, agents, & monks for the win.

Hopefully we will have a chance to get together for some of this- SOON!. Exploring the online play might be interesting, but there's nothing like the interaction of playing across the table with all of you.

Cinco De Mayo Tournament – Round 1

Battle 1 @ Volcalla Rift
Shades (Jacob): Shades Of Bleakwoode x4, Othkurik the Black Dragon, Marro Warriors = 590.
Roman Archers (Damon #1): Roman Archers x4, Zelrig, Tandros Kreel, Izumi Samurai = 585.

Rd 1: Jacob led out with Othkurik, grabbing the Teleportation treasure glyph and killing three Roman Archers in one Acid Spray. Dad led with the Samurai and then brought out the Archers. They combined for one attack but could only muster 1 skull with the 6 dice, which Othkurik easily blocked.

Rd 2: An Izumi landed on the Summoning glyph. Dad pulled Othkurik across the map to the left side. The Izumi rolled attacks of 2/2, 2/2, and 2/3 to kill a Shade and put 3 big wounds on the black dragon. Jacob used the teleportation treasure to get Othkurik to a little more safety. The Izumi continued their onslaught getting 5 skulls in three attacks of 2, killing another Shade and Othkurik – Jacob lost on OM! Zelrig flew out of the start zone and killed the third Shade in the middle of the map with his special attack. Jacob brought out Shades on turn 3 . . . and one died trying to attack a Samurai, who defended with excess shields. Dad was on fire!

Rd 3: Dad won initiative and sent Zelrig forward to within range of Jacob’s start zone. A nifty 3/3 skull roll with the special wiped out 3 Shades and 2 Marro Warriors. What a slaughter! Jacob engaged Zelrig with 3 Shades but was only able to earn one wound. Dad tried to pick off the Shades with the Archers, but managed to only kill one of them. Jacob rolled for Soul Devour and spun a perfect 20/20. What?! Dad removed OMs from Zelrig’s card and politely handed it over to Jacob. What a sad development this is. Dad rolled 5/6 skulls in a combined Archer attack to kill another Shade. The Shades flew into Dad’s startzone, but Dad defended all attacks. Jacob rolled for Soul Devour again hoping to add Tandros to his army, but he was only able to get an 18 for his efforts. PHEW.

Rd 4: Dad really had his work cut out now. Jacob’s Zelrig rolls 2/3 skulls to kill three Roman Archers and one of his Shades. Dad surrounded Zelrig with his Izumi (2 on lava field) but the Red Dragon defended all attacks. Zelrig left all three engagements for only one wound and then killed another Roman Archer. The Roman Archers responded by taking out the last Shade on the map. Zelrig whiffed with his special attack. An Archer hit Zelrig, who whiffed, for 2 wounds. 2 Izumi died on the lava field to end the round.

Rd 5: Zelrig took out an Archer. The last Izumi engaged the red dragon but whiffed his attack. Zelrig rolled 5/5 skulls on the Samurai who rolled 4/5 shields, which wasn’t enough. The Roman Archers normal attacked Zelrig for another wound. Jacob rolled a pair of 18s, cloning the two dead Marro Warriors. Dad climbed his Romans to height, rolled 3/3 to kill Zelrig, 1/3 to kill a Marro, and 3/3 to kill another. These Roman Archers aren’t all that bad.

Rd 6: Jacob retreats and clones one Marro. Dad rolls 5/9 skulls for the Archers to kill two Warriors. The last Marro kills one of the Archers and then defends against a couple of attacks. The round ended with the Warrior failing to clone and the Archers moving toward Jacob’s start zone.

Rd 7: A Roman Archer rolls 1 skull to put down the Marro Warrior and end the battle.

Final Score
Dad won with one squad of Archers and Tandros fully intact for 175 points. Dad had to kill a bunch of extra points when Zelrig switched sides, but the hot rolling overcame the potential trouble. Jacob did not roll well in defense, particularly for the Shades.


Battle 2 @ Marr Highway
Soulborgs (Jacob): Deathwalker 8000, Mistress Isadora, Alpha-Prime Enforcer x4, Zettian Guards, Deathreavers x2, Warden 816 = 580.
Varkaanans (Damon #4): Varkaanan Greyspears, Varkaanan Quickblades, Varkaanan Darkclaws, Varkaanan Swiftfangs, Arktos, Sylvan Animae x2 = 585.

Rd 1: The wolfpack sprinted out of the start zone, taking the Lucky 20-sider glyph and the Unique Attack +1 glyph. A Greyspear was able to kill a Rat. The Soulborgs didn’t get any attacks off.

Rd 2: Dad’s Swiftfangs and Quickblades were able to take out a couple of Rats and an Enforcer. Jacob went with all Zettian Guards and bonding Enforcers to kill two Swiftfangs and two Quickblades.


Zettian Guards and Enforcers inflict damage

Rd 3: All Zettians again this round, who were able to kill a Greyspear, Swiftfang, and the last Quickblade. The Enforcers chipped in by taking out a Greyspear and the last Swiftfang. Dad was down two full squads of Varkanaans and half of another. The Greyspears were able to kill the remaining three Enforcers on the map and another Rat, but things did not look good for Dad. Arktos did get to the middle of the map to grab the Scarab of Invulnerability.

Rd 4: The Zettians took out the Greyspear on the Unique Attack +1 glyph. Arktos killed one Zettian, but despite rolling a total of 1/16 shields the other defended against the Greyspears. The Zettian failed its attack on Arktos. Arktos killed the last Zettian and a Greyspear killed a Rat. Deathwalker 8000 and some Sylvan Animae moved out of the start zones to end the round.

Rd 5: DW8000 failed all of his attacks this round. So did Arktos. A Greyspear managed to kill a Rat. The Sylvan Animae moved some more to close the round.

Rd 6: Arktos and the last Greyspear failed in their attacks. DW8000 killed the Greyspear and Dad lost an OM. Mistress Isadora moved a couple of times, failed an attack, but she was able to imprison a Sylvan.

Rd 7: Mistress killed the Sylvan via her interrogation techniques and then rolled 2/2 skulls to put a wound on Arktos. Arktos hucked his spear at Mistress, rolling 4/5 skulls, killing her in one shot. Jacob lost two OMs. DW8000 blocked an Arktos attack and the Darkclaws moved forward on the highway to close the round.

Dad had the Darkclaws, a one-wound Arktos, and 5 Sylvan Animae. Jacob had DW8000, Warden816, and a Deathreaver left on the map.

Rd 8: DW8000 started the round rolling skulls with his special attack – killing 2 Darkclaws and a Sylvan. Ouch. Arktos took out DW8000! Jacob lost his OM#2. Arktos and the last Darkclaw failed their attacks on the Warden and the Rat. The Warden engaged the Darkclaw and Eviseraxes it dead. Dad lost his OM#3.


Arktos faces the last rat and Warden

Rd 9: Arktos and the Warden received all of the OMs this round. Arktos was able to kill the last Rat with a perfect 4/4 roll, but failed in two attacks on the Warden. The Warden punished Arktos for three wounds in the round, leaving the wolfpack leader with one-life left.

Rd 10: Dad won initiative. Arktos hit the Warden with a perfect 5/5 skull roll to which the Warden could only get 3 shields in response. Varkanaans win!

Final Score
Very close. Dad had 72 points left with Arktos and 4 Sylvan Animae. The Varks will move on in the winner’s bracket while the Soulborgs drop into the loser’s.

Customs Notes
Alpha Prime Enforcers were really impressive teaming up with the Zettians, who have become a pretty formidable squad when bonding with the Enforcers. Jacob used the Enforcers in an offensive manner and was able to take out 5 Varkanaan squad figures – over 100 points. But, in using them in this manner, he lost them all by the end of the third round. Mistress Isadora was able to pull off one Cybernetic Prison, kill a figure, and put a wound on Arktos before dying with a terrible defensive roll. She is hit and miss, and she missed in this battle. The Sylvan Animae didn’t do much besides give the Varkanaans a boost in move out of the start zone. They were able to hold a glyph for the last few rounds.


Battle 3 @ Sidewinder
Agents (Damon): Microcorp Agents x3, Agent Skahen, Major Q10, Otonashi= 580.
MacDirks (Jacob #3): Thorgrim the Viking Champion, Finn the Viking Champion, Eldgrim The Viking Champion, Alastair MacDirk, MacDirk Warriors x3, Tarn Viking Warriors = 590.

Rd 1: Jacob sent out Thorgim, Alastair and the MacDirks, but couldn’t get close enough to attack. After moving around some Microcorp on the first two turns, Dad had Q-10 step over the water on the right side of the map, rolling 6/8 skulls with the wrist rocket to take out a couple of Macs.

Rd 2: Alastair picked up the Bracers of Teleportation treasure. Q-10 rolled 6/8 skulls again to kill another Mac and put a wound on Alastair. The Macs landed on the Defense +1 glyph, killed a Micro and Alastair put two wounds on Q-10. The Micro and Q-10 killed three more Macs on Dad’s last couple of turns.


Alastair and Q-10 face off

Rd 3: Alastair hit Q-10 hard with a 4/6 skull roll to kill the big Soulborg. Dad lost an OM. Three Micro defended attacks, but one had to use his magic pants. Skahen fired up from the start zone, killing a Mac. Alastair left on engagement for a wound, charged into the Agent’s startzone, but failed an attack on Skahen while a Mac took out a Micro. The Micro fired on Alastair for two wounds, leaving the champion with two left.

Rd 4: Dad went with all Micros this round, killing 3 Macs (including the Def +1 glyph holder), Alastair, and putting two wounds on Thorgrim. The Macs could only kill one Micro and get one wound on Skahen during the round, but they did get the glyph back.

Rd 5: All Micro again this round for Dad. The Micro defended all attacks and were able to take out a Mac, a Tarn, and put another wound on Thorgrim. Plus, a Micro was able to take the +1 Def. glyph.

Rd 6: Edgrim almost killed a Micro, but he successfully avoided the wound with magic pants. The Tarns got off 4 attacks in the round, but they were all blocked. The Micro killed Thorgrim, 2 Tarns, and put 3 wounds on Finn. Things were getting out of hand quickly.

Rd 7: The Micro cleaned things up taking out the rest of Jacob’s army.

Final Score
Dad had two full squads of Microcorp, 1 wound on Skahen, and Otonashi left for 290 points. Dad has now won all three battles in the first round.


Battle 4 @ Marr Highway
Monks (Damon): Eilan Sidhe x2.5, Syvarris, Shaolin Monks x3, Master Win Chiu Woo = 580.
Zombies (Jacob #2): Zombies of Morindan x4, Zombie Hulk x4, Gald'rabok = 590.

Dad figured it would take some time for the slow moving Zombies to get across this very long map. He planned to have Syvarris pick them off from range and then use the Monks to jump into a crowd of Zombies and wipe them out with multiple attacks.

Things started off badly when a Zombie stumbled upon the summoning glyph. Yep – Syvarris was pulled in and would be dead after the first OM in round 2. Oh, and the Zombies landed on the Defense +1 glyph as well.

Dad couldn’t roll defense dice worth beans. To make a six round story shorter . . . despite killing tons of Zombies, they just kept coming back when the Sidhe and the Monks fell. Master Woo fell before he could kill anything, whiffing on two defensive rolls in the face of the onslaught attacks.

Final Score
Jacob had 6 Zombies, 3 Hulks, and Gald’rabok left for 360 points remaining. Ouch. Jacob finally won a game in this tournament.

Customs Note
Gald’rabok did need to play, so there is nothing to report.


Next Up - Round 2 Match-ups

Winner’s Bracket

Battle 5 @ Sirocco
Agents (Damon): Microcorp Agents x3, Agent Skahen, Major Q10, Otonashi= 580.
Roman Archers (Damon #1): Roman Archers x4, Zelrig, Tandros Kreel, Izumi Samurai = 585.

Battle 6 @ Sidewinder
Zombies (Jacob #2): Zombies of Morindan x4, Zombie Hulk x4, Gald'rabok = 590.
Varkaanans (Damon #4): Varkaanan Greyspears, Varkaanan Quickblades, Varkaanan Darkclaws, Varkaanan Swiftfangs, Arktos, Sylvan Animae x2 = 585.

Loser’s Bracket

Battle 7 @ Marr Highway
Shades (Jacob): Shades Of Bleakwoode x4, Othkurik the Black Dragon, Marro Warriors = 590.
MacDirks (Jacob #3): Thorgrim the Viking Champion, Finn the Viking Champion, Eldgrim The Viking Champion, Alastair MacDirk, MacDirk Warriors x3, Tarn Viking Warriors = 590.

Battle 8 @ Volcalla Rift
Monks (Damon): Eilan Sidhe x2.5, Syvarris, Shaolin Monks x3, Master Win Chiu Woo = 580.
Soulborgs (Jacob): Deathwalker 8000, Mistress Isadora, Alpha-Prime Enforcer x4, Zettian Guards, Deathreavers x2, Warden 816 = 580.

Archers, Varkaanans, Soulborgs, and Shades for the win.